


Returning the Favor

by treya_barton



Series: FFXV NPC Weekend [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-13 22:27:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14757455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/treya_barton/pseuds/treya_barton
Summary: Day 2 of NPC Weekend!For the prompt I decided to have like everyone show appreciation to the chocobros?  So, yeah, a lot of NPCs in this one lolSaturday, May 26thVoted Prompt: Returning the favor (helping the chocobros)Bonus Character Prompt: Monica Elshett & Weskham Armaugh





	Returning the Favor

Iris was rushing about the Amicitia household, barking orders at Talcott as they both worked on straightening up before Noctis and his retinue returned from their trip surveying the rebuilding efforts in Lucis.  The trip doubled as a chance for the people of Lucis to see their King before his official coronation ceremony which would be the next day.  Noctis had elected to stay at the Amicitia’s while rebuilding efforts were underway, for he still had some dark memories of the Citadel and walking into the throne room and seeing the bodies of his family, friends, and those loyal to his family hanging from the ceiling as Ardyn gloated.  So, while he did work in the Citadel during the day, he appreciated being able to leave at night which was when he was more likely to trigger those memories he’d rather forget.

Since Noctis lived with Iris and Gladio, it only made sense that Prompto and Ignis would as well.  The mansion was large enough to house all of them along with Talcott, and with all of them there it felt a lot less empty.  That made it easier to not dwell on the people that had lived there happily before the fall of Insomnia.  In the early days after Noctis’s recovery and daylight returning to Eos, Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto had returned to Insomnia and worked hard to clean up the mansion as best as possible to create a home for them to return to.  Once Noctis had been well enough to join them, and Iris and Talcott had been pulled away from their duties in Lestallum and Hammerhead, they had worked together to repair it as best as they could and threw things together to make it inhabitable.

And while the four friends had been off travelling for several weeks, Iris had hired a building crew to do permanent repairs to the building and bring it back to its previous splendor.  She was excited for them to see their home, especially since she had included a surprise for her brother.  When they finally arrived in one of the old Crownsguard vehicles that had been fixed up by Cindy for their trip, Iris and Talcott rushed down to visit them, excited to reveal the surprise.  Gladio caught Iris in his arms and swung her around, while Noctis and Prompto both ruffled Talcott’s hair who looked a bit disgruntled at still being treated as a kid.  Ignis smiled to himself, hearing the joy in his friends voices at their reunion.  “What has got the both of you so excited?” he asked, for he could feel their enthusiasm that they were terrible at hiding.

“Iggy, don’t ruin it,” Iris complained, before tugging on Gladiolus’s hand.  “Just come inside!”

The four men smiled fondly before following Iris and Talcott, and they began to get an idea when they realized that the exterior of the home no longer looked broken like it had before.  “It looks like they repaired the house,” Prompto whispered to Ignis who of course couldn’t see for himself.

“What a lovely surprise,” Ignis murmured back, and sure enough when they stepped inside Gladiolus and Noctis had tears spring into their eyes because the mansion looked very close to how it did before the fall of Insomnia.  Prompto looked on in wonder, for he hadn’t seen the Amicitia house in its glory and had no idea how beautiful it had actually looked.

“So, what do you think?” Iris asked, as the three men stared at the main hall in surprise and Ignis carefully ran his hand along the newly repaired bannister on the staircase that had been polished and now felt smooth again.

“This looks amazing,” Gladio replied.  “You really outdid yourself kid.”

Iris beamed at him while Talcott added, “Just wait until you see your rooms.  And the kitchen!”

Ignis looked excited at the mention of the kitchen, and Talcott and Prompto immediately went with him to check it out, while Noctis headed upstairs to see his room.  Their rooms were all newly furnished with much more comfortable beds and other furniture, and he couldn’t wait to test it out with a nap.  While the others left to explore, Iris took Gladio’s arm in her own.  “I have a special surprise for you, Gladdy,” she explained, and he grinned. 

“What else could you possibly have in store?” he asked curiously as she lead the way.  Iris looked even more excited than she had earlier.  She brought him to what used to be their father’s study and told him to cover his eyes.  Gladio played along and immediately closed his eyes, covering them with his hands as well while Iris opened the door and carefully lead him inside. 

“Alright, you can open them now!” Iris said, and Gladio carefully lowered his hands before staring out in wonder.  His father’s study had been converted into a personal library and the biggest surprise was the fact that it was actually stocked with _books_.  When Insomnia had been ransacked, a lot of goods including books had either been looted by some of the officers or destroyed by MTs.  And then during the 10 years of darkness, even more books had been lost forever.  Iris had spent her time while the house had been worked on looking for and gathering books to stock the library with, knowing how much her brother loved to read and how happy it would make him.  Tears immediately sprang to Gladio’s eyes, and he crushed his sister in a hug.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice shaking slightly, and Iris smiled before hugging her brother back.

Not long afterward, Ignis began working on dinner for some guests they were going to have over that night.  Cid and Cindy were staying over for the Coronation and would be arriving that evening.  It would be Cindy’s first time ever visiting Insomnia, which she was excited about, and Cid’s first visit since Regis’s coronation all those years ago.  Weskham had also arrived that day from Altissia, and although he was staying with Cor instead at the Citadel, he and Cor would be coming over for dinner that night along with Monica.  Iris had found a new dining room table to accommodate all of them and was excited to show off the new tableware she had gathered to replace her mother’s set that had unfortunately not made it.

Once their guests started arriving, starting with Cor and Weskham who appeared carrying a covered painting and dessert, Prompto headed upstairs to wake up Noctis and Talcott disappeared upstairs to grab a surprise of his own.  Everyone gathered in the dining room to chat while they waited, except for Weskham who entered the kitchen to put his tiramisu in the fridge and to see if Ignis needed any help. 

“What’s under the cloth?” Noctis asked when he finally made it to the dining room, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

“It’s my coronation gift,” Cor replied, “for the four of you.”

Prompto, Gladio, and Noctis looked at it curiously, but they felt it would be best to wait for Ignis before having Cor unveil it.  Right then, Monica arrived, walking in holding four hangers with clothes that were carefully wrapped to keep them from getting damaged or dirty.  Prompto and Gladio stepped forward to take them off her hands, sliding them into the coat closet by the front door.  “Did you have a pleasant trip?” Monica asked, joining them at the table.

“Yes.  It was nice to take a leisurely ride without being attacked by MTs, daemons, large beasts…” Noctis replied in bemusement.  “The only downside is Gladio made us camp a few times ‘for old time’s sake’,” he teased.

“Hey, it wasn’t that bad,” Gladio replied.  “I didn’t see you complain when you used it as an opportunity to go fishing!”

“Yeah, for a whole entire day,” Prompto complained.  “I thought I was going to die of boredom…”

Noctis lightly shoved his best friend’s shoulder while the others laughed.  Just as Ignis and Weskham had wrapped up with dinner and were starting to bring the food into the dining room after Iris and Talcott set the table, Cid and Cindy arrived.  They announced their arrival by honking loudly outside, which caused everyone at the table to immediately quiet.  They recognized the sound of that horn.  “Is that…?” Prompto started to ask as Noctis leapt out of his seat and rushed outside, stopping abruptly when he saw the car.

Tears immediately filled his eyes, for Cid and Cindy had pulled up in what was unmistakably the Regalia, his father’s car.  Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis soon appeared at his side, and Gladio whispered to Ignis that it was, in fact, the car the four of them had used for their road trip all those years ago.  Prompto placed a steady hand on Noctis’s arm, while Gladio lightly pushed him forward so they could walk down to the car.

Cindy stepped out of the driver’s seat, while Cid got out of the passenger seat.  Behind Noctis and his friends, the others had also stepped out, Cor and Weskham having a similar reaction since they and Cid had taken a road trip of their own in that same car even longer ago.  “Reckoned you’d appreciate this coronation gift,” Cid grunted, having to walk with a cane now.  He tapped the cane against Noctis’s legs lightly.  “Make sure to take better care of her this time,” he warned, before heading up the steps to greet Cor and Weskham.

“Aranea helped us find her in Niflheim,” Cindy explained, as Noctis wiped his eyes on a handkerchief that Ignis handed him.  “She brought her back and we repaired the old girl back to brand new.  It took awhile – we were almost afraid she wouldn’t make it to your coronation,” Cindy grinned.

“Thank you,” Noctis said quietly, gently placing a hand on the car.

Cindy smiled, tipping her hat before following the others back inside and giving Noctis, Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto a moment.  They all stared at the car quietly, memories of their trip flashing through their mind, before they each wrapped an arm around Noctis in a group hug.  Noctis hugged them back, and they all took a moment to dry their tears afterward.  They found Cor, Weskham, and Cid waiting at the top of the stairs, talking quietly about their own road trip and about the loss of Regis and Clarus.  “You boys ready to eat?” Weskham asked, noticing the four of them, and they nodded.

Dinner was an amazing mix of Lucian and Accordan food, and everyone enjoyed themselves as they shared stories of what they had been up to.  Weskham discussed recovery efforts in Altissia, while Cid and Cindy explained how long it had taken them to repair the Regalia and their efforts in getting cars in working order to allow more people to travel easily.  Monica and Cor had been working hard to get Insomnia back up and running, while Talcott and Iris talked about what they had worked on for the mansion in the past few weeks.  Noctis, Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto shared stories of their second road trip and the recovery efforts they had seen across Lucis.  It was wonderful seeing people finally beginning to rebuild their lives again.

After dinner, as they pulled out Weskham’s dessert and started to dig into it, Cor decided to unveil his gift finally.  He had it leaning against the mantlepiece in the dining room and carefully removed the cloth to reveal a painting he had commissioned of Noctis and his three Crownsguard standing on the steps of the Citadel dressed in the formal outfits they would be wearing to the coronation.  They were all grouped together in such a way that it was obvious they were supporting each other along with their King.  “We look so cool,” Prompto said in surprise, and Cor couldn’t help but lightly grin at him, before leaning forward to ruffle his hair. 

Prompto grinned at the action, for he had always looked up to Cor, and they had worked together occasionally during the 10 years of darkness when Prompto had travelled around helping anywhere he could.  Cor had a soft spot for the blond, for he had also felt like the outsider during his road trip, for he had been younger than the others who were already established friends and tried to do everything he could to keep up with them.  He had seen the same drive in Prompto, who had been a civilian before rushing through Crownsguard training so he could at least take care of himself on his road trip, and Cor had been careful to encourage him any chance he got.

“I suppose that means I should reveal my gift as well,” Monica grinned wryly, before heading to the closet to pull out the four carefully wrapped outfits within.  She unzipped the protective cloth and revealed the coronation suits that she had commissioned to each one, matching the painting Cor was now hanging above the mantlepiece. 

She had worked with tailors that had gotten the young men’s measurements from other clothes they had made for them during the year of recovery efforts in order to ensure they were perfectly tailored to each of them.  Noctis’s looked much like the King’s Raiment he had worn when fighting Ardyn, but it had been adjusted to fit his frame better and looked even more ceremonial now with a few more embellishments on it.  His three friend’s suits looked similar to the Kingsglaive uniforms they had worn, only they now had ornate, gold trim on them and had cloaks added for the ceremony.

“These look amazing,” Noctis said, his midnight blue eyes looking at both Monica and Cor gratefully.

“Well, we couldn’t have you go through your coronation wearing your old, ragged uniform,” Monica smiled in return.  “It was hard work keeping Ignis busy enough so he woudln’t try to throw something together himself.”

“It was quite disconcerting,” Ignis spoke up.  “I had been positively worried about what we were going to wear.”  He looked the most relieved at the outfits, and he had stepped forward to feel for himself the high quality stitching and materials while Prompto described to him what they and the painting looked like.

Monica squeezed his shoulder good naturedly, before going to cover up the suits again and hang them back up for the ceremony the next morning.  While she worked on that, Talcott then pulled out his surprise that he had hidden in a small box after grabbing it upstairs earlier.  “I made these for you guys,” he said, opening the box and revealing custom cactuar figurines that he had personally made for each one.  “I remember the ones you guys used to collect for me and still have all of them in my room.  I thought I should make you each one to show my thanks,” he said bashfully, and the four men crowded around him to check them out.

“This has got to be mine,” Noctis said in amusement, picking up the cactuar that was wearing a black hat and had a fishing rod in one hand and a box of tackle at its feet.  “You did an amazing job,” he said, looking carefully at all the thought that had gone into the details.

“I LOVE it,” Prompto said, staring at his in amazement.  His cactuar was wearing his old Crownsguard vest with the patches painstakingly painted on and had a camera in one hand.

Gladio just laughed when he saw his, for it was lying down with its head propped on its arm while it read a romance book, a pose that Gladio often took on when reading.  It even had Gladio’s tattoo on the back and arms which was a nice touch.  Talcott handed Ignis his, and Ignis carefully felt his fingers over the cactuar as Talcott excitedly explained it to him.

“Yours has a frying pan in one hand and your recipe book in the other.  If you feel right here,” Talcott explained, carefully rubbing Ignis’s thumb along the head of the cactuar, “you should be able to feel its glasses.”

“You did a wonderful job,” Ignis grinned, squeezing Talcott’s arm.

“Yes, I want to thank everyone for your thoughtful gifts,” Noctis agreed.  He and his friends all looked pretty humbled.  “We definitely weren’t expecting it.”

“Well, y’all deserve it, after all y’all went through,” Cindy replied.

“Yeah, we just wanted to show you how much we appreciated you guys,” Iris added.  Everyone exchanged smiles, and they talked some more over cups of after dinner coffee before wrapping it up for the night.  Monica, Weskham, and Cor headed out while Iris and Talcott showed Cindy and Cid to their rooms.  The others, exhausted from their road trip and knowing they had a long day ahead of them, retired to bed.

The next day, everyone woke up early to get ready for the ceremony.  Noctis and his Crownsguard head over early in the morning with their new suits in order to get ready at the Citadel, while Iris and Talcott took care of breakfast for Cid and Cindy before they head over to wait at special seats set aside for Noctis’s guests of honor.  Noctis would be doing his coronation ceremony on the main balcony to the Citadel so anyone in Insomnia could see it, but had special reserved seats in the front for his friends.  Cor and Monica were running the ceremony, and Gladio was helping Cor run security with the new Crownsguard that mainly consisted of a few old Crownsguard and Kingsglaive that decided to stay and support Noctis, along with a few new recruits that wanted to join after he and his friends brought light back to Eos.

One of the guests of honor was Aranea, who had arrived from Niflheim that morning with Biggs and Wedge.  They showed up in two airships, one which she was gifting to Noctis and therefore Lucis as a show of peace between both nations.  She was acting as dignitary for Niflheim and was specifically selected to work on relations with Lucis.  Noctis was making good on his promise to Prompto to unite all the nations of Eos in peace, and they had all worked together in the past year to build relations along with recovery efforts.  Noctis and the others were pretty impressed by Aranea’s gift, for Lucis had never really had anything like an airship.  It was one of the many ways both nations would be sharing their knowledge and technology going forward.

“It looks magnificent,” Noctis breathed, for he had come down to greet her when she arrived.  She and her crew would have nice rooms to stay in at the Citadel while they were visiting for the festivities.

“After all you and your pals went through?” Aranea asked, tilting her head slightly.  “You deserve it.  I do hope that you have something fun in store for the after party – I do hate ceremonies,” she shrugged, and Noctis chuckled.  She, Biggs, and Wedge headed inside to grab something to eat before changing into their formal outfits for the ceremony, stopping to greet Prompto on the way who Aranea now treated like a younger brother.  Noctis knew that she and Prompto had gone through something together during that time Prompto had been in Niflheim, and he was glad Prompto had someone to support him before he had been captured by Ardyn and dragged to the keep.

Soon, it was time for the ceremony.  Cor gave the opening speech, introducing Noctis and going through the motions of crowning him and handing him his scepter to hold as Noctis repeated the ceremonial words officially crowning him as king.  Noctis then stepped forward to give a speech, discussing his exploits and the efforts made to rebuild Lucis.  He then introduced each one of his friends and how each of them had helped him on the journey, before discussing his promise to Prompto to ensure that going forward, all nations of Eos worked together to establish peaceful relations.  Prompto blushed while the audience roared its appreciation.  Noctis then introduced the dignitaries of each nation that had come in support of his coronation, including Aranea on behalf on Niflheim, and Weskham who was there on behalf of Accordo.  The only nation that was missing a representative was Tenebrae, which had been the most torn apart by the war and had lost all of its leaders including the royal family.  Noctis still mourned for the Nox Fleurets, especially Lunafreya, and many of the survivors had stayed in Lucis after light returned, electing to become Lucian citizens.

After the ceremony ended, the citizens who had come to watch the coronation dispersed to participate in the celebrations that were being held all throughout the city, while Noctis’s guests retired to the Citadel to wait for the banquet.  Noctis and his friends took a quick break afterward in order to change into more comfortable suits.  While everyone freshened up, Weskham returned to the kitchens with Takka to work on the banquet.  They had both decided that their coronation gift would be coming up with delicious dishes for the banquet and overseeing the preparations.  Takka had finally returned to his diner in Hammerhead, for he had evacuated to Lestallum when Hammerhead had been converted into a hunter headquarters.  He was happy to be back at his diner, doing what he loved.  He and Weskham also found they got along well with their similar passion for fresh ingredients and good food, even if Takka’s was more like home-cooking and Weskham’s was more high class.

Iris, meanwhile, headed to Noctis’s old room at the Citadel, where he, her brother, Ignis, and Prompto were currently getting ready.  She knocked on the door before entering, carrying a bouquet of flowers for each of them as her follow-up gift.  “You did really well,” she smiled at Noctis, who looked relieved.

“I don’t think I’ll ever enjoy giving speeches,” he joked, gratefully accepting Iris’s bouquet.  She had managed to find some beautiful, blue sylleblossoms for him, and he looked touched.

“I wanted to make sure Tenebrae was represented too,” Iris explained.  “I think it’s what Luna would have wanted.”

Noctis nodded, tears pinpricking at the corner of his eyes, before stepping back so Iris could hand out the rest of the flowers.  Gladiolus’s bouquet was his namesake, white gladiolus that she had bunched together.  Gladio smiled before fondly ruffling his hand through his sister’s hair, who smacked him away with the hand not holding the other two bouquets.  “Do you know how long it took me to do my hair this morning?” she huffed.

“Probably not as long as it took him,” Gladio teased, nodding over at Prompto who stuck his tongue out.  Both Prompto and Noctis had also been forced to shave that morning by Ignis, and Prompto kept rubbing at his chin, not used to it feeling smooth anymore.

“Here, Prom, this one’s for you,” Iris said, holding out his bouquet.  Although Prompto liked sunflowers, they hadn’t been able to find any seeds to regrow them after the 10 years of darkness, so she had to make do with a bouquet of red roses.  Iris had always noticed that Prompto seemed to like red, sneaking it into the different outfits he wore, and Prompto lit up open seeing them.

“Thanks, Iris,” he grinned, taking the bouquet into his arms. “This is the first time I’ve ever been given flowers…”  While the others had been given flowers upon graduation or at other events, Prompto’s adoptive parents had often been busy and hadn’t been around for most of the important events in his life. 

“That’s because you refused to let me give them to you,” Noctis grinned good naturedly.

“It’s not the same coming from a dude,” Prompto sniffed.  He then stepped aside so Iris could bring her last bouquet to Ignis.

“For your bouquet, I brought you lilacs,” Iris explained, handing it to him.  “They smell really good so I thought you would like that.”

Ignis took a sniff of the bouquet and smiled.  “Thank you, Iris,” he said.  “They do smell lovely.”  Iris gave him a small hug. 

“I’m helping Monica with some stuff for the banquet, so I’ve got to go now.  See you there!” she waved, before bounding out of the room.

Gladiolus chuckled.  “It’s hard to believe she grew up, with all of that energy she still has.”

“Yeah, then I remember the first time I saw her take down a daemon,” Prompto shook his head.  “She’s scarier than you sometimes…”

Gladio lightly punched Prompto on the arm, but he had a proud grin on his face.  “She is an Amicitia after all,” he grinned.  They then headed down to the banquet, for Noctis had to give a few more words to get it started officially.

After Noctis gave his short speech, officially starting festivities, he and the others split up.  Ignis stayed by his side as he made his rounds, taking a moment to talk with all the guests, while Gladio headed off to check with the Crownsguard to see how things were going with security.  Prompto, meanwhile, was left to his own devices and chose to wander around, keeping an eye on Noctis and Ignis as he headed toward the tables that were set up with food.  He was stopped on his way there by Vyv, who was taking pictures for an article he was writing for his magazine. 

“If it isn’t the man of the hour,” Vyv greeted.  “I hope I’m not keeping you from anything.”

“Nah, I was just grabbing a bite to eat,” Prompto replied.  “Besides, the man of the hour would be our King, don’t you think?”

“That he is.  But, you and your pals are important too.  Besides, a quick interview from you would be a perfect piece for the article,” Vyv replied thoughtfully.  “However, I do have to take some more pictures first, so I may have to come back for that.  I did come here for a different reason, after all.”  Prompto looked confused as Vyv reached down into a bag he was using to carry around his photography equipment, pulling out a camera bag that was different from the one currently resting around his neck.

“I want you to have this,” he said, handing the camera over to Prompto.  “I heard yours finally died, and I know these can be hard to find these days.”

Prompto’s fingers trembled slightly as he took the bag from Vyv, and he gasped as he unzipped it and pulled the camera out.  It was a high-end Lokton which had been way out of his price range before the 10 years of darkness, and there were a few lenses and SD cards in the bag as well.  “I…I don’t know what to say,” Prompto said, looking slightly flushed and overwhelmed at the gift.  “There’s no way I deserve something this nice.”

“No one deserves it better than you,” Vyv said.  “I’ve seen the photos you can take.  Just send me some for the magazine as thanks.  Besides, I wanted to make sure you got something in return for all you did for us, and all you boys continue to do.”  Vyv slapped his shoulder before packing up his bag and heading out to take more pictures.

Prompto quietly looked down at his camera for a few minutes longer before packing it up and slinging the bag over his shoulder.  He decided he would grab himself a plate to eat and find Cor or someone else to talk to before retiring early that night.  He suddenly felt overwhelmed and knew he needed time to process what had just happened.

Noctis and Ignis, meanwhile, were stuck in a conversation with Sania, who was rambling on about her current research project.  Noctis was staring out at the crowd, trying to spot anyone who could help pull them away, and he tried to catch Prompto’s eye when he saw him grabbing some food but noted he seemed kind of flustered and distracted.  ‘No luck there, I guess,’ he thought, hoping maybe he could find Gladiolus instead.

His thoughts were interrupted, however, by a light pressure on his arm as Ignis prodded him for his attention.  “I wanted to let you know that I was able to finish that research paper based on the rainbow frogs you boys had brought me before, well, you know,” Sania said, beaming at them.

“That’s nice,” Noctis said smoothly, pretending he hadn’t just been distracted.  “How did it go?”

“It was very well-received.  I actually dedicated it to the four of you,” she added.  “I want to thank you all for how much you helped me in my research – I was able to use that knowledge during those dark days to determine if an animal had been impacted by the scourge and whether it was safe to eat or breed.  It helped ensure we had something left when you returned light to Eos.”

“We appreciate the dedication,” Ignis replied.  “And am happy your research was able to work to the benefit of all.”

“Hopefully my next project will be half as good,” Sania agreed, before waving and heading off to grab a bite to eat.

“Thank the Astrals,” Noctis said with a sigh.  “Sania’s nice, but I can’t understand half of what she says.”

“Noctis,” Ignis frowned, and the young King grinned at his friend cheekily.  

“Not like you understand it either, Iggy,” he teased.

Their banter was interrupted by the arrival of Dave, who was there representing the hunters and his family.  He was carrying two items – a box and what appeared to be a book that was wrapped up to keep it clean.  “Thank you for inviting me to your coronation,” he greeted, and Noctis grinned.

“Of course.  You and the hunters did a lot for Eos and Lucis while I was away.  How could I not invite you?  Could your mom not make it?” he asked.

“Her health isn’t that good these days,” Dave shrugged.  “Age is finally catching up to her.  And my aunt.”  His mother and aunt still didn’t like talking to each other, but Dave had at least made amends with the “witch” and was on good terms with her.  “I have something for you though,” he commented.

He first handed Noctis the box, and he opened it gingerly to reveal four beautiful watches, each made with stainless steel, decorated with black diamonds and pearls, and strapped with black leather bands.  They were each a little different and custom designed with a name designating who the watch was designed for on each band.  “What’s this?” Noctis asked curiously.

“I think Dino was working on those for you boys before…well, before Galdin Quay got hit by the scourge,” Dave replied.  “I found that box with his stuff when we were cleaning up the Quay recently and figured it was meant for you guys.”

Noctis’s fingers gripped the box tighter, and he felt a slight tightness in his chest.  He had remembered seeing Dino’s clothes at the docks after he had woken up and returned to the mainland, and he now understood what it had meant.  What happened to Dino was in a way, worse than death.  “Thank you,” he said softly, before closing the box and handing it to Ignis to hold.  Ignis carefully cracked it open and curiously ran his hand along the inside, realizing quickly that it contained the watches.

“I’m sure they’re high quality work,” he murmured.  Every item that Dino had designed with the gems they had brought him had high craftsmanship, and they could tell he had a passion for it.  It was a shame he hadn’t lived to see light again and carry out his dream.

“What else do you have there?” Noctis asked, and Dave looked a bit bashful as he handed the book over to him.

“The surviving families of every hunter you had collected a dog tag for put together this scrapbook for you guys, showing what their life had been like before they died on the field,” he explained.  “It also contains all of their thanks for risking your lives to bring back something to them to remember them by.”

Noctis, who had already gotten tears in his eyes due to the watches, sniffled slightly and Ignis handed him his handkerchief again.  “This is a really thoughtful gift,” he said, once he had breathed in a few times to calm down.  “Tell them that we really appreciate it.”

“Anytime, Your Majesty,” Dave said, giving Noctis a slight wink before heading out to meet up with Cor and Monica who he hadn’t seen in awhile. 

“Will you be alright, Noct?” Ignis asked quietly as he took the book from him.

“Yes.  It’s just…a lot to take in,” Noctis admitted.  “I wasn’t expecting so many thoughtful gifts.”

Ignis smiled wryly.  “Well, it is your coronation day, Your Majesty,” he teased, and Noctis shook his head.  He then spotted Talcott and waved him over, asking quietly if he could bring the box and book to his room where it would be safe.

Talcott nodded and gently took them from Ignis before heading out toward the hallway to take care of them.  Once he left, Libertus stepped in to take his spot.  “I couldn’t help but overhear you complaining about receiving thoughtful gifts,” he joked.  “So, you’re in luck, this one’s for Ignis.”

“I wasn’t complaining!” Noctis replied with a huff.

“A gift for me?” Ignis asked in surprise at the same time.

“Yeah, I heard that you’ve gotten back into cooking again, so I wanted to make sure you had a full set to work with,” Libertus grinned.  “I’ll be bringing it around to the mansion tomorrow because it’s too much to carry.  Don’t worry – I’ve got a good eye for the kind of quality you’d like.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Ignis replied with a wry grin.  “And thank you.  That is a very thoughtful gift.”  Libertus squeezed Ignis on the shoulder before smacking Noctis on the arm.

“Isn’t hitting your King treason,” Noctis grumbled while Libertus grinned.

“It’s a good thing we’re blessed with such a forgiving ruler,” he replied.  “Also,” he added, his face suddenly becoming serious.  “Thank you for what you’re doing for my friends.  It means a lot to me and for the Glaive that stayed loyal to the crown.”  Noctis was commissioning a memorial for the Kingsglaive such as Nyx and Crowe that had lost their lives defending Insomnia during the fall, and he had placed Libertus in charge of the project to ensure it was something they would have wanted.  Between that project and his Crownsguard duties, Libertus also ran a bar on the weekends called C&N for Crowe and Nyx.

“Of course.  Happy to do it,” Noctis replied, and Libertus nodded before waving and heading off.  He was going to find Gladiolus in order to see if he was needed for anything else that night. 

Not long afterward, Gladio met up with them briefly.  “Everything seems to be going smoothly.  Prompto already headed back to the house though,” he said.  “He asked if he needed to stay and I let him go because he seemed shaken.”

“What’s wrong?” Noctis asked worriedly.  He had seen Prompto look flustered earlier.

“He’s in one of his moods after Vyv gave him a camera earlier,” Gladiolus shrugged.  “You know how his anxiety can get.  I’ll have Iris check in on him later and make sure he’s ok though.”

Noctis wanted to go himself, but he still hadn’t seen everyone at the coronation yet and knew he had to wait.  “Should I go?” Ignis asked, and Noctis shook his head.

“He probably wants some time to himself.  We’ll check on him once we’re wrapped up here,” he said.  “Thanks for the head’s up, big guy,” he added, and Gladio grinned.

After Gladio wandered off, they were happy to be interrupted by Wiz, who had made the rare trip away from his Chocobo Post to be there for the event.  “Thanks for the invitation.  I’m sure glad after all that you did for us, you managed to survive and officially be crowned king.”  Wiz looked pretty proud, and Noctis couldn’t help but slightly blush.

“Thank you for coming.  I know how hard it is to leave your birds,” Noctis replied.

“Speaking of, I actually brought a gift for you and your friends,” Wiz replied, a sparkle in his normally stoic gaze.  “You’ll find four of our finest holed up in your stable back at the mansion.  Talcott helped me hide them in there this morning after you had left for the citadel.”

“Prompto is going to flip,” Noctis replied, an excited look on his face.  “Are you sure you can spare giving us four chocobos?  I know how hard you have been working to bring back the population.”

“Because of Sania’s research, we did a pretty good job keeping the line strong during the dark days,” Wiz shrugged.  “The population isn’t as bad off as it could have been.  Yours, in fact, is a descendant of that black chocobo you boys had recovered from the wild.” 

Noctis grinned widely at that, while Ignis muttered under his breath about how Prompto wasn’t the only excited one.  Noctis rolled his eyes, lightly nudging Ignis before thanking Wiz warmly.  “I can’t wait to see them,” he said eagerly.

“Good.  I left a bunch of instructions for the proper care of them and will be following up to see how they’re doing,” Wiz said, a sharp look in his eyes.  “I trust you to take care of them.”

“Of course,” Ignis replied.  “It won’t be our first time handling your chocobos.  We will ensure to follow every instruction.”

Wiz nodded before heading off to grab something to eat before heading back to his room.  He would be leaving early in the morning to head back to the Chocobo Post.  They had to evacuate it during the 10 years of darkness, but now that light had returned to Eos they were getting in back into working order.

The next person they talked to was Holly, who was catching up with Cindy.  Holly was still in charge of Lestallum and had been pivotal in keeping the powerplant running and ensuring all of the major areas in Lucis still had power for their anti-deamon lights.  Noctis had awarded her with a title once he had recovered from his fight with Ardyn, which she had bashfully accepted.  Holly was very no-nonsense and didn’t understand why she deserved an award when she was just doing what needed to be done.  “Well if it isn’t our new King and his Chamberlain,” Cindy called, waving them over.  “Have y’all said hi to Holly yet?”

“We have not,” Noctis replied.  “How have things been in Lestallum since we visited?”

“Everything’s going well,” Holly grinned.  “In fact, I wanted to tell you about a project of mine.  We had to hide it from you when you visited, because I wanted it to be a surprise for the coronation.”

“Oh?” Ignis asked, and Noctis also looked curious.

Holly pulled out her phone and tapped on it until she had a picture pulled up of some sketches.  She handed it to Noctis, whose eyes widened when he realized what it was.  It was a memorial they would be building on the overlook area of Lestallum that contained a statue of Noctis and his retinue.  “We wanted to build this so everyone could remember what you guys did to save Eos,” Holly shrugged as she took back her phone.

“I had to struggle so hard not to spill the beans,” Cindy grinned.  “It’s it gorgeous?”

“Holly, you didn’t have to,” Noctis started to say, and she shook her head.

“We all wanted to.  You guys did a lot for us, and pretty much the whole city voted on the project.  You’ll have to be there when we do the dedication.”

“I promise, I will,” Noctis smiled, before he and Ignis headed off to make more rounds.  Noctis described the sketches to Ignis as he walked, and Ignis seemed surprised by the level of detail in the project.

“They did not have to go through so much trouble!” he commented, and Noctis shook his head. 

“I agree, but there’s no changing Holly’s mind when she’s decided on something,” he shrugged.

By the time Noctis had worked the whole room, and he felt like he surely had talked to everyone by now, he was surprised one last time.  “Well if it isn’t Noct Gar,” a voice called from behind him, and Noctis turned to see Navyth his fishing buddy standing there.

“Navyth!  You survived!” Noctis said, and they both gave each other a quick hug.

“You can imagine how surprised I was that my fellow fishing enthusiast was actually the king of my country,” Navyth grinned.  “I didn’t know what to expect when I saw the invitation for the coronation.”

“How did…” Noctis began to ask, and next to him Ignis politely coughed into his hand.  ‘I should have known,’ Noctis thought while shaking his head.

“You gave a very good speech today.  I didn’t know you had talent other than fishing,” Navyth joked, and Noctis grinned in reply.

“I really appreciate you coming today.  I’m happy that you survived.  Have you been fishing since light returned?” Noctis asked, for he had been curious about the fish populations.  The ocean fish had been fine, since daemons didn’t really appear in the water, which is where he had fished during the road trip.  But he didn’t know about the rivers and streams.

“A few fish did appear to make it, and I’ve been keeping an eye on the populations as they’ve been slowly growing again,” Navyth replied.  “I’m hoping in another year they’ll be strong enough to start fishing again.”

“That’s great news,” Noctis said, looking relieved.

“That’s why I wanted to give you this,” Navyth said.  He walked over to where he had been sitting and enjoying his meal, before pulling out a beautiful fishing rod and reel that was obviously custom made.  “I figured you may have lost yours at some point and wanted to make sure you were ready when we could fish again.”

Noctis gently took the rod from Navyth, looking over it and taking in the expert design.  This was definitely a strong rod and would be useful.  “I don’t know what to say,” he said, giving Navyth a grateful look.  “Let me know when things are good so we can schedule a trip.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Navyth grinned, before returning to his meal. 

“Well Iggy, I think we’ve finally talked to everyone,” Noctis commented.  The banquet hall would be open for several more hours for those that wanted to continue to dine and chat, but Noctis no longer had an obligation to stay.

“Very well,” Ignis replied.  “I figure we can grab ourselves a bite before heading back.”  He definitely wanted to taste some of Takka’s and Weskham’s food and see if he gained any inspiration for one of his own recipes. 

“Sounds like a plan,” Noctis said.  He called Gladio to let him know of their plans, and his Shield soon appeared at his side.

“Did someone say food?” he joked, and the three of them quickly piled some food onto a plate before making their way out to the Regalia and returning to the mansion.  Iris and Talcott had already retired for the night, and Noctis was happy to see that Talcott had thought to bring the book and the box of watches with him.  He opened the box to show Gladio, who whistled when he saw the craftsmanship. 

“Dino did a good job,” he said, and the three of them poured a drink in his memory.

Prompto had come downstairs upon hearing them arrive, and he was still carrying his camera with him as if afraid if he let it go it would disappear.  “Did Vyv give you that?” Gladio asked, and Noctis held out his hand so he could look it over.

“Yeah,” Prompto quietly replied before gently handing his camera to Noctis and looking curiously at the watches.  “These look nice,” he said, pulling out the one with his name and looking it over.  It suddenly hit him who had probably made it, and a sad expression crossed his face before he put it on his wrist.

“Your camera looks great – Vyv has good taste,” Noctis said before returning it to Prompto.  “I’m glad you can take pictures again.  I’ve been needing a royal photographer – who better than a member of my Guard?” Noctis grinned.

Prompto blushed again, before holding the camera to his chest.  “I would like that,” he replied softly, and Noctis grinned.  Prompto then noticed Noctis’s new rod and groaned.

“Did you really need another one?” he asked, wrinkling his nose.  Noctis had found one of his old rods at the Citadel which he had cleaned up and brought along on their pre-coronation tour of Lucis, but this one was much better quality.

“What, you can get a nice camera, but I can’t get a nice rod?” Noctis replied, holding his rod to his chest.

Prompto snickered.  “So, Gladio got a library, I got a camera, you got a rod…  Did Iggy get anything?”

“I have a new kitchen set that should be arriving in the morning,” Ignis replied.  “Compliments of Libertus.”

“Sweet,” Prompto grinned.  They then shared stories of all the nice things people had said or gifted them during the coronation and banquet, and Prompto especially seemed overwhelmed by the memorial being constructed in Lestallum.  They remembered all of those they had helped, and those who had not survived to see daylight return, before eventually being interrupted as Cindy and Cid finally returned.  Cid had stayed to chat with Weskham and Cor, while Cindy had enjoyed her time with Holly.

“Y’all are still up?” Cid asked.  “I thought for sure you bunch would be asleep by now.”

“What time is it?” Ignis asked, and when Prompto checked his phone and winced before giving Ignis the early hour, Ignis looked appalled.  “We should definitely get some rest,” he said.  “It has been a long day.”

“I’m surprised Noctis managed to stay up this late,” Prompto teased, while Noctis lightly punched his arm.

“You ok now?” Noctis asked quietly, and Prompto nodded.

“Yeah, I’m feeling better.  Thanks,” he smiled.

“Make sure you’re quiet going upstairs.  Don’t want you waking Iris and Talcott,” Gladio warned, and the others grinned.  Gladio was still an overprotective brother, even if Iris was an adult now.  After exchanging their goodnights, everyone headed upstairs to sleep.  They would all be thinking of ways to repay everyone’s kindness in the coming weeks.


End file.
